Self-surrender to Divinity | Swami Paramananda

SELF-SURRENDER

The true devotee is always conscious of the power that works through him. Otherwise he is nothing; he does not want to be anything independent of that Divine power. He knows that the Mother does Her own work, that he has no right to take any credit or blame upon himself.

Everything is all right as long as we do not forget Her. Egotism makes us forget Her; it is our worst enemy. So we must fight and kill it. Let us pray that we may do a little service to Her children, remaining always a true instrument in Her hands.

Otherwise this life has no value. We have only the right to live a true and pure life and serve as much as we can all Her children.

Sometimes the task appears very hard, as if there were no way out of it. But nothing can remain permanent in this world; the clouds vanish and again life becomes hopeful.

We must therefore stand like a rock under all circumstances. Let everything come and go, but try to remain always unmoved.

Be bold and face the truth. If you have an Ideal, give your life for the realization of it. We must sacrifice our lives for our Ideal. That is the only way to worship the Ideal. Not weakness, not hypocrisy, but sincere love and strength will make us worship Him truly.

Move on and do not lode back to see what happens to anyone. Thousands like me may die in this moment, but that will not do any harm to this vast world. Truth is deathless and that will shine forever. Worship the truth and die for it.

Remember always that the present life is the result of past thoughts and deeds; the future is going to be according to the present. So our future depends entirely upon us. Past will be washed off by the present life.

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That which has been offered to the Ideal, at the feet of the Master, we have no right to use for our personal satisfaction or happiness. He who has truly given his life, soul and body, to the service of the Master must not think of his own will, but should sacrifice his own will at the command of the Master. This is called true self-sacrifice. Otherwise as long as we can fulfil our own desires by serving the Master, we serve him; but the moment it interferes with our selfishness, we do not; this is not self-resignation. On the contrary, it is mean selfishness. One must be bold and determined enough to conquer this unworthy weakness, and must use the power of discrimination.

The path of renunciation is very hard. Complete self-surrender at the feet of the Master is a very hard thing, but without that spiritual growth is impossible. The disciple should always be ready to go to the mouth of a cannon or before a tiger at the command of the Master without asking why. This is what is called true devotion.

Another thing necessary is to have no attachment for earthly things. The mind must be free from lust and greed. “He who, even here, before he is separated from the body, can resist the force of lust and anger, that man is really wakeful, that man is happy.” Try to realize this and you will be free at once. Crush down egotism and say “I am lower than even a blade of grass.” Then you will see that all impurities will vanish, you will become divine. Then you will have the right to take the Blessed Name of the Lord. Egotism stands between us and the Lord, our true Self; so destroy it and say “Not I, but Thou.” Bring out the real strength and destroy all weakness. Know that Atman (the true Self) is never realized by a weak person.

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Let us therefore conquer all weakness. People take advantage when we are weak. We must know how to preserve our dignity, especially when we are among the people of the world. We must “hiss” in order to protect ourselves from the wicked, but we must never try to do any actual harm. When we try to do harm we drop to the level of the evil-doers whom we oppose and really hurt ourselves. In order to remain true to our principle, however, we must sometimes show a spirit of resistance in the form of a hiss, but never should we be actuated by a desire to injure anyone.

Stand like a rock in your faith and devotion and let the Divine Mother hold your hand. When we hold Her hand there is some danger of our loosening our hold, but when She holds there is no more fear of falling down. So we must make ourselves free from every danger by always trusting in Her Divine will. Do not allow any other thing but Herself to occupy your pure heart. Do not be depressed by any foolish thought, fear, or anxiety. Know that nothing is impossible for Her. Have intense faith and feel free.

Let her will be done in everything, then all must come right. We must not question why or what, but must follow Her will patiently and quietly. If misery comes, accept it as a blessing from Mother, who knows in which way She forms our characters. One thing we should always remember, that worldliness and holiness are two different things. If one goes towards the north, the other goes towards the south. So you cannot expect justice from the world.

We must be bold, strong and fearless in our every action. When miseries or difficulties come, say “All right, come on,” and stand up like a hero. They will run away from you at once; that is the only way to conquer them. Be bold. Be bold and fearless. Even one word of boldness brings strength; so try always to keep your mind bold and cheerful.

It is a great and unselfish work to be happy, strong and cheerful for the sake of your Ideal. By working with such unselfishness you will gain every day more and more purity and strength. But this can be done only through constant thought of the Ideal and earnest prayer. The Mother will not fail to fulfil the prayers which are said from the heart with unselfishness. She will always protect you and give strength and guide you. Will She make you unhappy when you try to serve Her always with whole heart and soul ? She will not, for She is an ocean of mercy and cannot make Her children unhappy. No fear; if any misery comes, Her heart will always be ready to share it with you.

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Then why so often do our prayers remain unanswered, you ask? We cannot know. We are only children. We should not wish to know much. She knows, the Divine Mother knows. This is Her world. She will take care of Her children. We should hold the thought, “I am only a child, a simple child; I am the servant of all Her children.” There is some happiness in serving Her children unselfishly, so let us always try to serve them. But here also we find difficulty because we do not know what real service means. Out of our foolishness we hurt those whom we intend to serve. In this way we make mistakes and cause unhappiness to others. Life is very hard without the power of proper understanding.

But still let us try to depend upon Her entirely. Although clouds sometimes gather so darkly about us, we must stand and be patient. Let us walk on steadily without being afraid of anything. Never mind for the results. Know that good will always produce good, it cannot be otherwise. It may not show outwardly; still this is the only true and desirable path to follow.

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Her Divine will, we are all guided by Her will. Let us fully depend upon Her and say sincerely “Let Thy will be done.” We remember this, yet still sometimes a little sense of anxiety comes in the mind. But we must shake it off. We must live here boldly, have purity and strength of character, then face everything fearlessly, all the difficulties and dangers. Whom to fear? We are the children of Divine Mother; our Mother is the Ruler of the universe, the whole world belongs to us. Have that kind of life-giving faith.

Bring out the life, the strength, the purity and unselfish love which you possess within yourself; they are your birth-right. Come up, come up bravely. There is no death for you. Throw off all impurities; old superstitions. They do not belong and never belonged to you. Know that you are free, free from all bondage. The little feelings of jealousy, hatred, anger, envy, name, fame, are all mere superstitions. What are you to do with them? Drown them all in the ocean of wisdom without having any mercy. Do it quickly and realize that you are free. Free! Wherever you go, you are free. No more bondage! No more fear! Let fools talk nonsense. Pity them, they do not know any better. Move on and never look back to see what is going on behind you. Let them talk, let them do whatever they want. Say nothing, but walk on silently and steadily.

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“Mother, everything is Thy will; Thou art the embodiment of all will.
Thy work Thou performest, O Mother!
People say, ‘I am doing’, ‘I am doing’
Thou canst capture even an elephant in a little muddy hole,
Thou canst make a lame man to cross a mountain.
Thou canst raise one up to be even the head of the Devas,
And Thou canst throw one down to the lowest state.
Thou art the agent, we are the instruments.
As Thou dost guide us, so do we act
As Thou makest us speak, so do we speak.’'
O Mother everything is done by Thy will. Not I, not I.

This is the true wisdom. One becomes free after realizing this. Vanity is ruinous, is the worst enemy of mankind. Kill it, kill it forever. Then will shine the sun of wisdom. Think “Who am I? Why should I quarrel or dispute with anyone? I am a child of God. I am free from praise, blame, sorrow, misery, pleasure, pain.” That is freedom. Only foolish people wish to be regarded as great by others, try to get praise from others. If they do not get it, they are unhappy and miserable. Nonsense! Do you care for such nonsense? A foolish play of five minutes! What is the reality in this world? We must use the power of discrimination. No use in living like slaves.

Why should we be guided by our senses and desires? We must fight and conquer them. We have plenty of work before us. The work is hard, but it must be done. It must be worked out before we can be free. If we neglect it or do not do it out of fear, then it will take more lives and cause more suffering. Through the blessings of the Lord the path lies open. Walk steadily, being fearless and cheerful. It is a very hard task to carry a burden and still harder for the one who removes it. How can one repay his debt? Only by living a pure and true life according to his teachings. There is no other way, there is no other way. Material help and service are nothing.

Cast off all slothfulness, therefore, and move on. Know that you are not the body, you are not matter, but you are Spirit, the pure, divine, holy and spotless soul. Hold this great ideal always in your mind; then nothing will ever dare to disturb your peace.

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Mother will always protect you. Without Her grace no one can do any good work. Let us not forget that, then we shall always be on the safe side. Man is in danger when he forgets his Mother and runs after earthly things, regarding them as great and substantial. It is through Her grace that one gets light and non-attachment to worldly pleasures. Let us sing Her Divine glory as long as we live, never mind whether we are in happiness or in the midst of misery. Let us be absorbed in Her thoughts; let us become mad in Her Divine love. The world will at once drop off from our minds naturally. What is there in human praise or blame, love or hatred, jealousy and other narrow things of the world? Let us forget everything and worship Her and Her alone with all our heart’s love and devotion.

Mother will scatter all around us peace and blessings. We are Her loving children and She will never fail in giving Her mother care. The waves come and go, the waves of pleasure and pain; they are very good for our spiritual growth. Stand firm. Let everything come and go, but stand like a rock and have always faith in yourself and in your Ideal. It is through faith and self-surrender that one realizes the truth, and never through useless arguments or power of human intellect.

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Human friends and foes are nothing. Mother is everything. She is all in all. Every moment must be spent in Her worship; all else is false, whether good or bad, all illusion, Maya, ignorance. Truth is one without a second, and it is She. She is the foundation of the whole universe. Without Her will nothing can be done. She is our Mother, Mother of all. When Mother is near no evil can touch us. Have faith, strength and courage. Know that Mother can make everything possible. No one can harm him who takes shelter at Her Divine feet. Fearless child he becomes.

Pray to Mother and take shelter at Her feet sincerely, then fear, care and all weakening thoughts will cease to exist. Say “Jai Mā Ānandamayī!” “All- Blissful Mother, victory to Thee!’* Repeat with force, all evil will vanish. She is the only destroyer of evil and She is ever the Protector of Her good and innocent little children, who know none but Mother. What else is there in this world to talk of? Everything is useless and unreal except the glory of Divine Mother, who is the source of our existence, the source of eternal peace and bliss.

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Let us always rest in peace in Her arms. Mother knows how to take care of Her child best. There is no fear for a little child so long as he is in his mother’s arms. She is all in all, one without a second. Whom shall we worship if we do not worship Her Divine blessed feet? Let the rest go. Let all other, things drop from our minds. Where will evil exist then? Where will be the fear or care or anxiety to disturb us when every room of our hearts is occupied by Her?

You know that beautiful song in which it is said that in this world he is supremely blissful who knows the Supreme Blissful Mother. Ceremonies and rituals are nothing to him. He does not go on pilgrimage to purify himself; he does not even hear any other word than the name of All-Blissful Mother, and does not believe in anything except the will of the Divine Mother. In this way he who has made the Mother’s feet all in all, forgets the world very easily and naturally, and he alone will reach the other side of the ocean of Samsara (worldliness). There cannot be any fear for him. He does not listen to the praise or blame of the world, but he remains ever intoxicated by drinking the nectar of the Mother’s name.

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Mother is the goal. She is the only place of rest and peace. Pray to Her. Pray to Her and think of Her and Her alone. She is the real protection. She is the source of all happiness and bliss. Let us dive deep in the ocean of Her divine love and be mad. This world will drop off from our minds at once. Everything that is unworthy of Her will be forgotten in a minute, “Jai Mā Ānandamaya! “All-Blissful Mother, victory to Thee!” All fear will vanish, everything will become blissful in Her presence.

Pray to Her like a little child and She will protect you. We are all Her children. Why should we fear anything? Mother will take care of us. Our duty is not to forget Her in the turmoil of this miserable world. What else can I say except that we must worship the Mother Divine always, under all circumstances; that is all one must do in this life. There is no higher or greater duty than this.

Pray to Her: “O Mother! give me true love at Thy feet. I do not want anything else. Take everything else from me, only give me pure love at Thy feet.” Pray day and night, and weep for pure devotion and pure love.

This is called the true worship. Be absorbed in this grand worship; then the world will slip away from you and you will always live in peace and bliss.

Remember that everything is done through Her will. She can do whatever She likes. She can make the most impossible possible. Who knows Her glory? Who can sing Her glory?

Ours is to give up all egotism and say: "Nāham! Nāham! Tuhu! Tuhu!’ “Not I, Mother, Not I! It is all Thou. Give me only true love at Thy feet, so that I may never forget Thee.

O Mother! Thy name is so sweet; give me intense love and faith in Thy name. Mother, O Mother, take me in Thy arms. I do not want to stay here; this is not my home. Thou art my home, my refuge; Oh let me come to Thee!

Thy work must be done. Let me do it truly and faithfully, with unselfishness and purity. Let Thy will be done! Give us strength and give us light, and may we say truly and sincerely, Let Thy will be done.